Cujo New to the Neighborhood, Help Cat Fights

OK, somebody please enlighten me. My 10 year old cat, is new to a split level apartment block. There is another resident cat in the building. I don't even know if it is a male or a female. The resident cat is quite large and as it appears from it's behavior, it seems quite territorial. This cat is also much larger then my cujo. Fights are happening, and I am fearful for my cat. Cat fights are scary. The resident cat has cornered cujo on occassion and there appears to be a lot of hissing and growling at one another. I want to protect cujo, by scaring and yelling at the other cat. Whats happening? I really would like for cujo to be the dominant cat in the neighborhood, but I'm not in charge. Hearing the fights, leaves me unsettled. What's next?

When I first got cujo as a kitten, I thought it was cruel to declaw a cat, thus meaning if I did declaw him he would be an indoor cat for sure. So I never declawed him. At first he was an apartment cat, (no outside) and then he became a house cat, (he loved that). And once again he became an apartment cat, (no outside) and now the current mainfloor apartment allows him to explore the neighboorhood whenever he wants out. Whats with this alpha, beta cat stuff. Has something to do with Heirarchy I think. Thanks for your post, but I really would like for Cujo to be able to go outside and explore, hunt and live like a cat. No housebound for cujo.

nothing you can do about it. cats are going to fight over teritory. its their nature. but eventually they will ballance things out establishing individual territory and "public zones" at worst your cats individual territory will be reduced to your own home and maybe the first 2 feet around your door but the public zone will give your cat quite a bit more ground. if nothing else enough ground to get out of the other cats chosen zone. at best the two cats will work out a mutual understanding and share the area.

I dont think cat fights are TOO much to worry about. the fights are usually a lot more screams and pulled hair than acctual permanent damage. actually the only time i have ever seen truely bad fights is when one cat is placed into a situation where they cannot back down or dominance/submission cannot be established.

Bottom line is if you don't want your cat to be hurt, keep him indoors, otherwise you'll have to deal with whatever happens. As long as Cujo goes outside there is absolutely nothing you can do to protect him other than building an enclosure for him.

In general, cats should be allowed to work it out. However, if Cujo has been inside only until now, he has no idea how to fight. And most likely, the outside cat has been fighting over his territory for years, successfully.

Would you like to go outside and play with an angry Mr. T? I doubt Cujo is enjoying it much, either. And worse case scenario is not that Cujo is limited to his doorstep. It is that he is run off and can't find his way back home. Or catches an illness from a bite from the big guy.

You cannot even the odds by trying to make sure Cujo wins. It is up to the cats to figure it out, or to humans to keep them apart. Is the other cat outside all the time? Maybe you could work out a deal with its owner where Cujo can play outside when the big guy is in the house. But most likely the outside kitty will start spraying out there a lot, to let Cujo know his scent, and it could get messy. Best option seems to be keep Cujo inside where he is safe and happy!

Clover is an indoor/outdoor cat. Cat fights are par for the course. They can get really nasty if the cats aren't fixed but that dosne't sound like the problem. Still fighting is normal and war injuries will result. Its a fact of life for an outdoor cat. My cat learned his territory wasn't anywhere around our house, since that belonged to the resident cat that lived below us. He would have to run across teh street (not busy) to get to his own territory. Kind of sad but thats how they worked it out.

I like the name Cujo. Reminds me of the hockey player.

reminds me of a scary dog movie.

Originally Posted by cujo

OK, somebody please enlighten me. My 10 year old cat, is new to a split level apartment block. There is another resident cat in the building. I don't even know if it is a male or a female. The resident cat is quite large and as it appears from it's behavior, it seems quite territorial. This cat is also much larger then my cujo. Fights are happening, and I am fearful for my cat. Cat fights are scary. The resident cat has cornered cujo on occassion and there appears to be a lot of hissing and growling at one another. I want to protect cujo, by scaring and yelling at the other cat. Whats happening? I really would like for cujo to be the dominant cat in the neighborhood, but I'm not in charge. Hearing the fights, leaves me unsettled. What's next?

Click to expand...

The resident cat is Alpha and is protecting his territory from the new interloper Cujo. There could be some major vet visits in your future, should you continue to let Cujo out to tangle with the resident cat (specifically if the resident cat is a tomcat). They are by nature, territorial, aggressive and fierce especially if they are running outside.

You cannot push Cujo to be an Alpha, that is determined by the cats, not the owners. To keep him safe, and keep you away from potentially high vet bills, you should keep him inside. You do not have to declaw a cat that stays inside, I am unsure of where you heard that- but it is not true. Unless Cujo is unneutered he will be perfectly happy living indoors, he will be safer than being outside. If the fights are unsettling to you now, how are you going to deal with your cat getting ripped open by another stray or feral, just because you want him to be able to be outdoors?

Brava!

I second Hissy's advice. Twenty years ago, my own family finally learned the hard way that cats should live indoors... our sweet Chavela, a 14-year-old brown tabby, was attacked by a possum (yes, in a nice suburban backyard). She went through two surgeries, but just couldn't recover, and passed away in my lap a month later.

KEEP YOUR KITTY INDOORS.

My cat is indoor only.

However I have observed outdoor cats near my home, and there is one that has been alpha for several years. I have often observed this cat fighting. He and some of the cats he has befriended often pick on other cats, usually smaller cats. One time our dog broke one fight up, by barking when he was returning from being walked. The cats have established their pecking order. There isn't much a person can do. Cats like that are among the many reasons I keep mine inside. My cat is too small (and old) to be a match for that one cat.

while i feel for your lose i do not believe in the whole "cats should live indoors" idea. sure its safer and all and honestly they are not going to suffer for living inside. but i think the freedom of the outdoors in some way is something all cats should have.

sadly cujo is in a situation which the owner is going to have to weigh the benifits of kitty freedom against letting him take a few on the chin untill the cats reach an understanding against just keeping him inside out of fear.

before i get flamed i am sure this is not inline with the some of your thinking and i oppologize if i offend but I am against extream removal of animals from any self sufficiency. like the people who breed cats or dogs that are no longer capable of living outside of human care (persians, pugs for example)

Blue Wolf, I hope nobody here would "flame" you -- you're entitled to your opinions! But please bear in mind that domestic cats are just that: domestic. It is not natural or appropriate for them to live in the wild... that's for wildcats and mountain lions and lynxes and such.

At least, that's the way it is here in the U.S. -- circumstances and traditions in Korea may be very different, and I respect that. But here, it makes no sense for a person who loves his or her cat to let it run loose. There are fleas and other parasites, feline leukemia, rabies, speeding cars, other animals, cruel children who abuse cats, and evil neighbors who shoot or poison them.

In my area, the SPCA says the average life expectancy for an outdoor cat is just two years.

No, it just makes no sense to "give a cat his freedom" despite the terrible risks involved. And once a cat is spayed or neutered, his desire to go outside is drastically diminished, anyway. It's much better to create indoor fun for your cat than to let him go outside. With a cat tree, some toys, even a few cardboard boxes to play in... lots of play and affection from his humans... and above all, a second kitty for companionship... a kitty will very quickly learn to love the warmth and security of indoor life.

Again, I respect your opinion, particularly since things may be very different in your country... but it breaks my heart to see so many cats on the street in America. The dangers are just too great.

balance is the key. I am a cat should be a 100% out door animal. i am simply saying they should have a little access to the outside world. a few hours a week at least to take a walk around the house or smell the bushes. maybe its just my upbrining where my cat would tell us when he wanted to take a walk outside then would let us know when he wanted to come in. he only spent 10% or 20% of his time outside but it just seemed natural for a cat.

by the way most animals will live longer in captivity than in the wild. that does not mean that captivity is natural or better for the animal.

having said that I guess this is the wrong forum to disguss this anyway and I will probably start a thread on the matter some place else in the future.